opening for "Isolation"

I'm busy editing "Ridicule," yet another story has started bugging me. I gave in and wrote the opening introduction for a new novel, "Isolation." Let me know what you think.


ISOLATION
by
Brian L. MacLearn

Introduction

I am an idiot and I am going to die. These are both factual statements, and I have all the proof necessary to show them to be true. The coldness is overtaking my body; it is only a matter of time before I feel the welcoming warmth of death. Every step that led me to this final resting place has been a mistake. It's so easy to see it now. Call it what you will, the final recognition, the life flashing before your eyes, or the clarity to see the reaper waiting for you. It makes no difference; at least not for me, not any longer. I understand and accept the end, but I will not go without a fight.
The blood that once gushed from the wound above my eye has temporarily ceased. It stopped sometime while I was swept away in my dreams, dancing with Vicky under the stars on a warm August night. She was the one who ended our dance and told me to wake up, even when I pleaded with her for one more dance, one more kiss. For the moment, I am still of this world. I will fight to my last breath, I owe her that much, no, I owe her everything.
The wolves are baying at my door. I am not trying to be sarcastic. I don't have a door, but the wolf pack that has been diligently circling me is closer now. They have more patience than I have time. Their song is united, and under other circumstances, I might have considered it hauntingly beautiful. It echoes off the hills and through the valley all around me. They are the greatest choir the wilderness has ever heard, always in perfect pitch and harmony, braying the sorrowful melody of their courageous existence. Today, they sing about the man who finally found his way out of despair only to die when there was still so much to live for. They sing, because tonight their stomachs will be satisfied, if only for a little while. One elderly man can only be considered a mere morsel when spread between so many with ravenous cravings and empty bellies.
I only want to close my eyes and see my Vicky for all eternity. I want to walk with her in the memories of the greatest love I have ever known. She will not be there waiting for me, not yet. She told me so, just this morning. She also told me that it was time for me to leave. I would die if I stayed put. Funny, I am going to die anyway, and horribly. I have never doubted her before, ever. I will not start now. I must believe that I will live.